THE ANTI-WAR MINORITY Sta,—Yours is the first recognition with which
I have met of the existence of a minority who. oppose the continuance of me war. But I do not think you over-estimate its extent and its importance.
You cannot judge the unfettered opinion inside the Labour Party from the block vote and the manipulated discussion of a Labour Party Conference. In our Coventry Labour delegate meeting with free discussion a resolution against the continuance of the war was carried by a good majority, although our prospective candidate, Mr. Richard Crossman, supports the orthodox Transport House view.
There are some reasons why many folk cannot support the war which you seem to ignore. I know that wherever they are advocated with documented evidence they win over Government war supporters. I can only enumerate a few. This Government has never attempted to deal with the deeper causes of the war, of which Hitlerism is a symptom.
The German Anti-Hitlerites can only be strengthened by some guaranteed assurance that Britain stands for an impartial settlement of territorial and economic questions. A renuncia- tion of Britain's imperial claims in favour of international control would have prevented the war and even now would convince the neutrals and the German minority of our dis- interestedness. No gesture of renunciation has been given. Ottawa, the French and British failure to disarm in 192o-3o, the pledge of Britain to back up an absurd Polish territorial status quo, the black troops on the Rhine, the blockade of 1919 are ancient history to British war supporters. They are living wounding sores in German memories as well as in the minds of thoughtful neutrals.
Those, who carry on this war by their deeds as well as their words over the wireless have 'not moral imagination enough to win over Germany to freedom and truth.
That has got to be done, and a three or ten years bloodshed
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